The present invention relates to alertness monitoring for drivers of motor vehicles.
The following patents are believed to represent the current state of the art:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,227,998; 3,631,446; 3,654,599; 3,953,830; 3,980,999; 4,007,357; 4,017,843; 4,104,621; 4,450,438; 4,463,347; 4,496,938; 4,509,040; 4,518,954; 4,564,833; 4,565,997; 4,581,607; 4,586,032; 4,594,583; 4,604,611; 4,611,199, 4,673,913; 4,794,536; 4,853,672; 4,984,646; 4,996,657; 5,057,834; 5,097,917; 5,282,135; 5,465,079; 5,488,353; 5,548,273; 5,568,127; 5,570,087; 5,570,698; 5,585,785, 5,675,313; 5,684,455; 5,684,462; 5,689,241; 5,709,281; 5,714,925; 5,717,606; 5,729,619; 5,745,031; 5,765,116; 5,786,765; 5,795,306; 5,798,695; 5,805,079; 5,805,720; 5,813,993; 5,815,070; 5,821,860; 5,835,008; 5,835,028; 5,847,648; 5,850,193; 5,867,587; 5,900,819; 5,917,415; 5,923,263; 5,925,082; 5,939,989; 5,942,979; 5,969,616; 5,982,287; 6,023,227; 6,061,610; 6,064,301; 6,067,020; 6,087,941; 6,087,943; 6,091,334; 6,097,286; 6,097,295; 6,172,610.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved methodology and system for monitoring the alertness of drivers of motor vehicles.
There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a methodology for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
sensing at least one first movement characteristic of at least a first part of a motor vehicle;
sensing at least one second movement characteristic of at least a second part of the motor vehicle;
employing at least one time relationship between the at least one first movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic in order to sense and to distinguish between driver initiated movements and non-driver initiated movements; and
determining the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle based on at least one relationship between the driver initiated movements and the non-driver initiated movements.
There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a methodology for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including.
employing at least one time relationship between at least one first movement characteristic of at least a first part of a motor vehicle and at least one second movement characteristic of at least a second part of the motor vehicle in order to sense and to distinguish between driver initiated movements and non-driver initiated movements; and
determining the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle based on at least one relationship between the driver initiated movements and the non-driver initiated movements.
There is additionally provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a methodology for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
sensing at least one first movement characteristic of at least a first part of a motor vehicle;
sensing at least one second movement characteristic of at least a second part of a motor vehicle; and
employing the at least one first movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic in order to determine the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle
There is further provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a methodology for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
sensing at least one first movement characteristic of at least a first part of a motor vehicle;
sensing at least one second movement characteristic of at least a second part of the motor vehicle;
employing the at least one first movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic in order to sense driver initiated movements; and
determining the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle based at least partially on the sensed driver initiated movements.
There is additionally provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a system for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
a first sensor sensing at least one first movement characteristic of at least a first part of a motor vehicle;
a second sensor sensing at least one second movement characteristic of at least a second part of the motor vehicle;
a distinguisher, employing at least one time relationship between the at least one first movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic in order to sense and to distinguish between driver initiated movements and non-driver initiated movements; and
an alertness determiner, determining the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle based on at least one relationship between the driver initiated movements and the non-driver initiated movements.
There is further provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a system for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
a distinguisher, employing at least one time relationship between at least one first movement characteristic of at least a first part of a motor vehicle and at least one second movement characteristic of at least a second part of the motor vehicle in order to sense and to distinguish between driver initiated movements and non-driver initiated movements; and
an alertness determiner, determining the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle based on at least one relationship between the driver initiated movements and the non-driver initiated movements.
There is still further provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a system for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
a first sensor, sensing at least one first movement characteristic of at least a first part of a motor vehicle;
a second sensor, sensing at least one second movement characteristic of at least a second part of a motor vehicle; and
a distinguisher, employing the at least one first movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic in order to determine the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle.
There is yet further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention provided a system for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
a first sensor, sensing at least one first movement characteristic of at least a first part of a motor vehicle;
a second sensor, sensing at least one second movement characteristic of at least a second part of the motor vehicle;
a distinguisher, employing the at least one first movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic in order to sense driver initiated movements; and
an alertness determiner, determining the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle based at least partially on the sensed driver initiated movements.
There is still further provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a methodology for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
sensing at least one characteristic of driver initiated movements of at least one part of a motor vehicle;
sensing at least one characteristic of non-driver initiated movements of at least one part of a motor vehicle; and
determining the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle based on at least one relationship between the driver initiated movements and the non-driver initiated movements.
There is additionally provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a system for determining the alertness of a driver of a motor vehicle including:
a driver initiated movement sensor, sensing at least one characteristic of driver initiated movements of at least one part of a motor vehicle;
a non-driver initiated movement sensor, sensing at least one characteristic of non-driver initiated movements of at least one part of a motor vehicle; and
a determiner, determining the alertness of the driver of the motor vehicle based on at least one relationship between the driver initiated movements and the non-driver initiated movements.
Preferably, the at least one characteristic of driver initiated movements is extent.
Preferably, the at least one characteristic of non-driver initiated movements is extent.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, extent of driver initiated movements includes at least one of:
the integrated magnitude of the driver initiated movements;
the RMS average of the magnitude of the driver initiated movements;
the number of peaks of the driver initiated movements per unit time.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, extent of non-driver initiated movements includes at least one of:
the integrated magnitude of the non-driver initiated movements;
the RMS average of the magnitude of the non-driver initiated movements;
the number of peaks of the non-driver initiated movements per unit time.
The driver initiated movements and the non-driver initiated movements as well as the extent thereof may represent or be represented by, for example, force, torque, strain, acceleration, angular displacement, angular velocity, linear velocity and linear displacement.
Preferably, the sensing at least one characteristic of driver initiated movements of at least one part of a motor vehicle and the sensing at least one characteristic of non-driver initiated movements of at least one part of a motor vehicle include sensing at least one first movement characteristic and sensing at least one second movement characteristic of the motor vehicle.
Preferably, the at least one first movement characteristic includes a steering wheel movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic includes a road wheel movement characteristic.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one first movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic include movement characteristics of first and second locations along a steering assembly extending from a steering wheel to at least one road wheel of the motor vehicle.
Preferably, the at least one first movement characteristic includes a steering assembly movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic includes a vehicle body movement characteristic.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one first movement characteristic includes a steering assembly movement characteristic and the at least one second movement characteristic includes a vehicle chassis movement characteristic.
Preferably, the first and second locations are located respectively at or upstream of and at or downstream of a power steering unit forming part of the steering assembly.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first location is at a steering wheel forming part of the steering assembly.
Preferably, the at least one first movement characteristic is angular displacement of the steering wheel; and
the at least one second movement characteristic is a steering angle of at least one road wheel.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one first movement characteristic is displacement; and
the at least one second movement characteristic is displacement.
Alternatively, the at least one first movement characteristic is displacement; and
the at least one second movement characteristic is acceleration in at least one direction.
Preferably, determining also employs the speed of the vehicle.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driver initiated movement sensor sensing at least one characteristic of driver initiated movements of at least one part of a motor vehicle and the non-driver initiated movement sensor sensing at least one characteristic of non-driver initiated movements of at least one part of a motor vehicle include a first sensor, sensing at least one first movement characteristic and a second sensor sensing at least one second movement characteristic of the motor vehicle.
Preferably, the system also includes a driver alertness alarm, responsive to an alarm from the driver alertness determiner, for providing an alarm to a driver deemed not to be sufficiently alert.